One year after a first-round loss at Roland Garros, Stan Wawrinka will play in the final. The eighth-seeded Swiss advanced to his first final here with a 6-3, 6-7(1), 7-6(3), 6-4 win over local favorite Jo-Wilfried Tsonga on Friday.
In sizzling temperatures, Wawrinka overcame strong resistance from the 14th-seeded Tsonga in a gripping match on Court Philippe Chatrier.
“It was a big battle, and I’m happy I was able to pull through it,” Wawrinka said. “He deserved to make it to the final as much as I did.”
Wawrinka’s ability to raise his game when it really mattered was the key, with the 2014 Australian Open champion saving 16 of the 17 break-points he faced.
The eighth-seeded Swiss player also served 15 aces and hit 60 winners to progress to his second final at a Grand Slam tournament.
Quick of the blocks Tsonga was quick off the blocks and earned three break points in the first game but failed to convert any. Wawrinka was not so charitable, seizing his second break opportunity with a backhand down the line to move up 3-1.
Wawrinka denied Tsonga a chance to break back in the seventh game with a forehand winner, then sealed the set in 35 minutes with another punishing serve.
After dropping his serve early in the second, Tsonga let Wawrinka dictate play. The Frenchman made the most of two double-faults from the Swiss, though, in the eighth game, breaking to level at 4-4.
Tsonga saved five break-points in a tight 11th game, and went on to dominate the tie-break.
The Swiss continued to struggle at the start of the third set and received treatment on the middle finger of his right hand at the changeover after holding his serve for a 2-1 lead.
Wawrinka dug deep to save two break-points in the ninth game. He yelled “Come On!” and “ Allez ” after every winner and raised his fist in triumph as he returned to his chair.
“There were just two or three points that made the difference, and I found a way to fight,” said Wawrinka, a former junior champion in Paris.
Both players showed nerves early in the tiebreaker, with Tsonga firing a big smash wide just before Wawrinka netted an easy backhand volley.
But Wawrinka found his rhythm at the right time, winning the last four points to seal the set.
Tsonga dropped his next service game at love after hitting a double-fault and could not find his way back into the match as his hopes of becoming the first Frenchman to reach the final in Paris since Henri Leconte in 1988 vanished.
